12 THE QUEENS COURIER • JANUARY 10, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
police beat COMPILED BY EMILY DAVENPORT
106th Precinct
Ozone Park
Fifth man arrested in
deadly robbery
Another man has been arrested in
connection to the murder of an Ozone
Park business owner in October 2017.
Brooklyn resident William Bryant,
54, was arrested on federal extortion
and murder charges for his role in the
murder of Hani Kasem, 64, who was
shot inside his Ozone Park business
in front of his son in retaliation over
unpaid debts.
Th ree other men, Dwayne Ling, 55,
of Brooklyn, Ppassim Elder (a.k.a. Sam
or Big Sam), 38, of Staten Island and
Frederick McCoy, 52, of Brooklyn,
were brought up on similar charges in
March 2018 for their roles in the murder
and extortion. A fourth defendant,
Mahdi Abdel-Rahim, 24, of Brooklyn,
was also indicted for his role in the
extortion.
Bryant was arraigned on Jan. 4, where
he entered a plea of “not guilty” to the
charges. He was detained and is due to
return to court on Jan. 24.
According to charges, Bryant, Ling
and McCoy allegedly went to Garden
Valley Distributors on 99th Street near
101st Avenue on Oct. 23, 2017 seeking
repayment of a debt from Kasem’s son,
who was also his father’s business partner,
who owed money to Elder.
107th Precinct
Fresh Meadows
Gunmen rob gas station
Cops are looking for a man who robbed
a Fresh Meadows gas station at gunpoint
over the weekend.
According to authorities, at 6:50 p.m.
on Jan. 5, an unknown man entered
the Mobil gas station located at 181-05
Horace Harding Expwy. and approached
the 57-year-old male employee. Th e suspect
then pulled out a handgun and
demanded money.
Law enforcement sources said that the
employee complied and handed over
$600 in cash from the register and 15
packs of cigarettes. Th e suspect then fl ed
the scene on foot and was last seen walking
northbound on 182nd Street.
Police described the perpetrator as
a light-skinned man and was last seen
wearing a gray or blue hooded sweater,
dark colored pants and black boots.
Call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS
with information about the case; all calls
are kept confi dential.
113th Precinct
Jamaica
Creep gropes girl during
conversation
Cops are looking for a creep who
grabbed a young girl’s thigh while she
was walking down a Jamaica street.
According to authorities, at 2:35 p.m.
on Jan. 5, an 11-year-old girl was walking
home in the vicinity of 130th Avenue and
146th Street when she was approached by
an unknown man. Th e man engaged the
girl in conversation briefl y before touching
her thigh.
Th e suspect then fl ed on foot eastbound
on 130th Avenue. Th e incident was later
reported to the 113th Precinct.
Police described the perpetrator as a
20-year-old black man with brown eyes
and a slim build. He was last seen wearing
dark-colored clothing, dark-colored
glasses and carrying a dark-colored book
bag.
If you have information about his
whereabouts, call Crime Stoppers at 800-
577-TIPS.
114th Precinct
Astoria
Robbery bid outside
popular diner
Cops are looking to question a man who
may know something about an attempted
robbery that left a diner employee injured
in Astoria last month.
According to police, at 3:25 a.m. on
Dec. 19, 2018, two unknown men were
trying to take a secured electric bike from
behind the Bel-Air Diner, located at 31-91
21st St.
When an employee tried to intervene,
law enforcement sources said, one of the
suspects pulled out a knife and slashed
the employee. Th e perpetrators then fl ed
the scene, one on foot and the other on a
scooter, without any property.
Paramedics took the victim to Elmhurst
Hospital Center, where he was treated
for non-life-threatening lacerations to the
torso and leg.
Th e individual sought for questioning
is described as a Hispanic man and was
last seen wearing a light-colored hooded
shirt and riding a shiny blue electric
bike. Police said the e-bike was not the
one which the suspects attempted to steal.
Anyone with information about the
case should call Crime Stoppers at 800-
577-TIPS.
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Prosecutors said that Kasem’s son
had taken a loan from Elder to help
run the operations at Garden Valley
Distributors. Elder demanded that
Kasem’s son repay the loan in full in
March 2017, but he was unable to do so.
Law enforcement sources noted that
that Elder planned a “a campaign of
intimidation against the son and his
family,” employing the help of Abdel-
Rahim, who on one occasion threw a
rock through the window of Kasem
and his son’s home. Elder then ordered
Bryant, McCoy and Ling to go to
Kasem’s business on Oct. 23.
While there, Bryant, McCo and Ling
allegedly had fi rearms, pistol-whipped
Kasem’s son and shot Kasem in the
head before fl eeing the location.
Police arrived at the scene and EMS
rushed Kasem to Jamaica Hospital,
where he died four days later. His son
suff ered minor injuries from the attack.
Elder was arrested in Cleveland, Ohio
by federal agents on March 2, 2018.
McCoy was arrested on March 7, 2018,
and Ling had been arrested in January
2018 on local murder charges.
If convicted, Bryant faces 10 years to
life in prison. Ling, Elder and McCoy
face a maximum term of life imprisonment
if convicted, and Abdel-Rahim
faces up to 20 years in prison.
Photo by Robert Stridiron/RHS News
/WWW.QNS.COM
